πρῶτος, πρώτη, πρῶτον (superlative of πρό, contracted from προατος, whence the Doric πρατός; the comparitive πρότερος see in its place) (from Homer down), the Sept. for øÄàùÑåï and often for àÆçÇã and øÉàùÑ, first;

1. either in time or place, in any succession of things or of persons;

a. absolutely (i. e. without a noun) and substantively; α. with the article: ὁ πρῶτος καί ὁ ἔσχατος, i. e. the eternal One, Rev 1:17; Rev 2:8; Rev 22:13; ὁ πρῶτος, namely, τῶν κεκλημένων, Luk 14:18; the first of two (cf. Winers Grammar, § 35, 4 N. 1; (Buttmann, 32 (28))), Joh 19:32; 1Co 14:30; plural opposed to οἱ ἔσχατοι, Mat 20:16, on which see ἔσχατος, 2 a. Neuter τό πρῶτον, opposed to τό δεύτερον, Heb 10:9; τά πρῶτα, opposed to τά ἔσχατα, one’s first state, Mat 12:45; Luk 11:26; 2Pe 2:20; the first order of things, Rev 21:4. β. without the article: Mat 10:2 (πρῶτος, namely, of the apostles to be mentioned); plural, Mat 19:30; Mar 10:31; Luk 13:30 (on the meaning of which three passages, see ἔσχατος, 2 a.); neuter ἐν πρώτοις (A. V. first of all), among the first things delivered to you by me, 1Co 15:3.

b. where it agrees with some substantive; α. anarthrous, and in place of an adjective: πρώτη (namely, ἡμέρα) σαββάτου, on the first day of the week, Mar 16:9; φυλακή, opposed to δευτέρᾳ, Act 12:10; as a predicate Luk 2:2 (on which cf. Winers Grammar, § 35, 4 N. 1; (Buttmann, § 127, 31)). where it is added to the subject or the object of the verb (and we often use an adverb; Winers Grammar, § 54, 2; (Buttmann, § 123, 9)): εὑρίσκει οὗτος πρῶτος, Joh 1:41(42) (where L Tr WH πρῶτον); add, Joh 8:7; Joh 20:4; Joh 20:8; Act 27:43; Rom 10:19; 1Ti 1:16; 1Jn 4:19; opposed to εἶτα, 1Ti 2:13 πρῶτος ἐμβάς, Joh 5:4 (the article belongs to ἐμβάς (G T Tr WH omit the passage)); but Act 26:23 πρῶτος ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν is to be translated as the first. By a later Greek usage it is put where πρότερος might have been expected with the genitive (cf. Herm. ad Vig., p. 717; Passow, under the word πρότερος, B. I. 2 c. ii, p. 1243a; (Liddell and Scott, ibid. B. I. 4 c.); Fritzsche, Ep. ad Romans, ii., 420f; Winers Grammar, § 35, 4 N. 1; Buttmann, § 123, 14): πρῶτος μου ἦν, Joh 1:15; Joh 1:30 (οἱ πρῶτοι μου ταῦτα ἀνιχνευσαντες, Aelian nat. anim. 8, 12). β. with the article: (ὁ (ἡ, τό) πρῶτος (πρώτη, πρῶτον), in a series which is so complete, either in fact or in thought, that other members are conceived of as following the first in regular order; as, τόν πρῶτον λόγον, Act 1:1; add, Mar 14:12; 2Ti 4:16; Rev 4:1; Rev 4:7; Rev 13:12, etc.; (opposed to ὁ ἔσχατος), ἡ πρῶτος πλάνη, Mat 27:64; add, Mat 20:8; Mat 20:10; Mat 20:16; 1Co 15:45, etc.; also ’the first’ of two, where Latin usage requires and the Vulg. ordinarily employs prior (cf. Winers Grammar (and Buttmann), as above): Mat 21:28; Mat 21:31 (L Tr WH ὕστερος); ἄλλους δούλους πλείονας τῶν πρώτων, Mat 21:36; ἡ πρώτη διαθήκη, Heb 8:7; Heb 8:13; Heb 9:15; Heb 9:18; ἡ πρώτη, namely, διαθήκη, Heb 9:1 G L T Tr WH; σκηνή, Heb 9:1 Rec., 2, 6, 8; ἡ πρώτη γῆ, ὁ πρῶτος οὐρανός, Rev 21:1; ἀνάστασις, Rev 20:5-6; ἄνθρωπος 1Co 15:47; followed by ὁ δεύτερος, τρίτος, etc.: Mat 22:25; Mar 12:20; Luk 19:16; Luk 20:29; Rev 8:7; Rev 16:2; Rev 21:19; followed by ἕτερος, Luk 16:5; ὁ πρῶτος, equivalent to the former, previous, pristine: τήν πρώτην πίστιν, the faith which they formerly plighted, 1Ti 5:12; ἡ πρώτη ἀγάπη, Rev 2:4; τά πρῶτα ἔργα, Rev 2:5.

2. first in rank, influence, honor; chief; principal: without the article, and absolutely, πρῶτος chief (opposed to δοῦλος), Mat 20:27; Mar 10:44; opposed to ἔσχατος and διάκονος, Mar 9:35; added to a noun, principal, ἐντολή, Mat 22:38; Mar 12:30 (T WH omit; Tr marginal reading brackets the clause); Eph 6:2; with a partitive genitive, Mar 12:28-29 (see πᾶς, II. 2 b. γ.); 1Ti 1:15; with the article, Luk 15:22; Act 17:4; οἱ πρῶτοι τῆς Γαλιλαίας, the chief men of Galilee, Mar 6:21: τοῦ λαοῦ, Luk 19:47; τῆς πόλεως, Act 13:50; τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Act 25:2; Act 28:17; τῆς νήσου, Act 28:7 (cf. Lewin, St. Paul, ii., p. 208f, but see Πόπλιος).

3. neuter πρῶτον as adverb, first, at the first;

a. in order of time: Luk 10:5; Joh 18:13; Act 11:26 (here T Tr WH πρώτως, which see); followed by εἶτα, ἔπειτα, or δεύτερον, Mar 4:28; 1Co 15:46; 1Th 4:16; 1Ti 3:10; followed by μετά ταῦτα Mar 16:9 cf. Mar 16:12; the first time, opposed to ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ (the second time), Act 7:12-13; τέ πρῶτον καί, first and also (or afterward), i. e. as well as, Rom 1:16 (but here L Tr marginal reading WH brackets πρῶτον); ; without τέ, 2Co 8:5; 2Ti 1:5; first i. e. before anything else is done; first of all: Mat 6:33; Luk 12:1; Joh 7:51 L Tr WH; Rom 1:8; 1Ti 5:4; 2Pe 1:20; 2Pe 3:3; πρῶτον πάντων, 1Ti 2:1. first, i. e. before something else: Mat 8:21; Mar 7:27; Mar 9:11-12; Luk 11:38; Luk 14:28; Rom 15:24; 2Th 2:3; 1Pe 4:17, etc.; before other nations, Act 3:26; Act 13:46; before others (R. V. the first to partake etc.), 2Ti 2:6; followed by τότε or καί τότε, Mat 5:24; Mat 7:5; Mat 12:29; Mar 3:27; Luk 6:42; Joh 2:10 (T WH omit; L Tr brackets τότε); ἐμέ πρῶτον ὑμῶν (Tdf. omits ὑμῶν) me before it hated you, Joh 15:18 (see 1 b. ἆ.). τό πρῶτον. at the first, i. e. at the time when one did a thing for the first time: Joh 10:40; Joh 12:16; Joh 19:39.

b. in enumerating several particulars; first, then, etc.: Rom 3:2; 1Co 11:18; 1Co 12:28; Heb 7:2; Jas 3:17.